Overdue library books? Go directly to jail

Baltimore county library patron gets three years for 402 overdue books.

Library officials say they suspect that the books were sold. Yesterday, Shabazz, a Randallstown resident, went to court to face a felony theft charge. He was convicted and sentenced to three years behind bars.

Shabazz, according to library officials, went from branch to branch to check out hundreds of books. He used, they said, as many as 10 different library cards using different names. On one day alone, they said, he checked out more than 60 books - at least six times as many as the typical adult library patron.